IPO Ready Websites: Investor Relations Requirements in the GCC

An investor relations website for a GCC listing candidate needs to be ready before the prospectus is published, not after the first trading day. In practice that means a dedicated IR section with share information, financial results, disclosures, governance pages and a reliable publishing workflow, all checked against the current rules of the exchange and market regulator. This checklist covers what companies preparing for a listing on DFM, ADX or the Saudi Exchange usually plan for, and where to confirm the details.

Disclosure rules in the Gulf are set and updated by regulators and exchanges, and they differ between markets. Treat everything below as a planning list to review with your legal advisers, listing adviser and the exchange itself. Where a specific obligation matters, confirm it with the official body rather than relying on summaries.

Who sets the rules for an investor relations website

A listed company's disclosure obligations come from several sources, and the website is only one channel among them. Official disclosures are generally made through the exchange's own disclosure platform first, and the company website then provides a permanent, organised home for that information.

In the UAE, the SCA issues a corporate governance guide for public joint stock companies, which has been amended over time. Secondary summaries describe requirements to publish certain reports on the company website, but the exact wording and scope should be checked against the current SCA text. In Saudi Arabia, the CMA's Corporate Governance Regulations include disclosure duties that commentators link to keeping the company website current; again, confirm the current version and article numbers with the CMA.

Why the website still matters when the exchange is the official channel

Analysts, fund managers, journalists and retail investors expect to find a company's story, history and documents in one place. The exchange platform shows announcements in date order. The IR website organises them by type, provides context, and connects them to governance and strategy information that investors use to judge the business.

IPO website requirements: the core IR checklist

The sections below are typical of well organised IR websites in the region. Not every item is a legal requirement in every market, and some may be required in a specific form. Use the list to plan, then mark each item as required, recommended or optional after checking with advisers.

Share and market information

• Exchange, ticker symbol and ISIN once assigned.
• Share price information, usually through a feed from a licensed data provider, with clear notes on delay and source.
• Share capital and major shareholder information as disclosed.
• Dividend policy and dividend history once dividends are declared.
• Analyst coverage, if the company chooses to list covering analysts.

Financial results and reports

• Annual reports and audited financial statements.
• Interim and quarterly results in line with the exchange's reporting calendar.
• Results presentations, earnings call recordings or transcripts, and supporting data files.
• A financial calendar showing upcoming results dates, general assemblies and other key events.

Disclosures and announcements

• An archive of announcements made through the exchange, with dates and categories.
• Prospectus and offering documents during and after the IPO, subject to legal advice on how long and in what form they remain available.
• General assembly notices, agendas, voting results and minutes, as required.
• Sustainability or ESG reports where the company publishes them or the regulator requires them.

Corporate governance disclosures

• Board of directors with biographies, roles and independence status.
• Board committees, their charters and membership.
• Executive management team.
• Governance report and key policies, such as the code of conduct, disclosure policy, dividend policy and related party transactions policy.
• Articles of association and memorandum, where appropriate.

Contacts and investor services

• A named IR contact or team email and phone number.
• Registrar or share registry details and shareholder services information.
• Email alerts for new announcements and results.
• Frequently asked questions for shareholders.

Disclosure timing and the publishing workflow

Timing is where IR websites most often fall short. A results announcement that appears on the exchange in the morning but reaches the company website hours later creates confusion and invites questions. The website workflow must be designed around the disclosure process, not added to the end of it.

Questions to settle before listing

1. Sequence. Confirm with advisers the order in which information may be released: exchange platform first, then website, press and social channels. Price sensitive information should not appear anywhere before the official disclosure.
2. Who publishes. Name the people allowed to upload IR content, and limit access to a small, trained group.
3. Approval. Define who signs off each type of content, typically IR, legal or compliance, and finance for results.
4. Preparation. Stage pages and documents in advance where the content management system allows scheduled or restricted previews, so publishing is a single step at the right moment.
5. Bilingual release. Plan how Arabic and English versions are prepared and released together, since regulators and investors may expect both.
6. Out of hours. Decide who is available when announcements are made outside office hours.

Rehearse before the real thing

Run a full dry run of a results release using dummy documents on a staging site. Time each step, check who needs to be available, and confirm that the live site can handle a spike in traffic. Many listing candidates discover access, approval or caching problems only during this rehearsal.

Building an IR website for DFM, ADX or Tadawul listings

The technical requirements are similar across markets, but a few details depend on the exchange. An IR website for a DFM or ADX listing will usually link to the company's page on the relevant exchange and reflect that exchange's disclosure categories. A company preparing for Tadawul IR will align with the Saudi Exchange and CMA requirements and should check expectations on Arabic content carefully.

Technical points to plan

• Reliability under load. Results days and the IPO period bring traffic spikes. Hosting, caching and content delivery should be tested in advance. Our article on the hidden risk of cheap hosting for corporate websites explains why this matters.
• Security and access control. Strong authentication for editors, role based permissions, and audit logs of who published what and when.
• Document management. Consistent file naming, permanent links for reports, and a clear archive structure so older documents remain findable.
• Accessibility. Readable layouts, accessible documents where possible, and text alternatives for charts.
• Performance. Fast pages on mobile, especially for share price and announcement pages that investors check often.
• Third party tools. Share price widgets, calendars and alert services should be reviewed for data handling and reliability.
• Privacy. Alert sign ups and contact forms collect personal data. The applicable rules depend on where the company is established and processes data, including the DIFC regime covered in our article on DIFC data protection website fixes. Confirm the position with counsel.

A timeline for getting IR ready

Exact timing depends on the listing plan, but the website work usually falls into three phases.

What may be published during the offering period is tightly controlled, and restrictions can apply to marketing material and to audiences in certain countries. Take legal advice before publishing anything related to the offer, and follow the regulator's instructions on access restrictions if they apply.

Hypothetical example: a family owned UAE company plans to list on ADX. Its IR lead, legal counsel and web team build the IR section on a restricted staging site during the pre announcement phase, with governance pages drafted from the approved board and committee details. Before the first results release, the team rehearses publishing a dummy announcement in Arabic and English and finds that one approver lacks access to the content management system. The issue is fixed before it can delay a real disclosure.

Go live checks for the IR section

Before the IR section is opened to the public, run a structured review. A short, repeatable checklist also works before every results season.

Assign an owner to each row and record the result. When questions arise later from auditors, advisers or the exchange, a dated record of these checks is far more useful than memory.

Governance beyond the IR section

An IPO also raises expectations for the rest of the corporate website. Messaging on product pages, careers pages and press releases should be consistent with what has been disclosed. Any automated content tools on the site need oversight so they do not publish statements that conflict with official disclosures, a topic covered in our guide to AI governance for business websites. For the wider organisational decisions behind a corporate site, see our GCC website transformation decision framework.

How Codeeo supports IR website preparation

Codeeo builds corporate and investor relations websites through its website design and development and UI/UX design services, including bilingual Arabic and English sites, structured document archives and controlled publishing workflows. Its Core Web Vitals work helps keep IR pages fast under load, and custom software and business systems can connect the website to internal approval processes. Codeeo has delivered 200+ projects across the UAE and the US, with a team of 80+ across Dubai, Riyadh and Karachi, and its Dubai office means UAE listing candidates can meet the team in person. Codeeo builds the website and workflow; disclosure content and compliance decisions stay with your IR, legal and listing advisers. Contact Codeeo to plan your IR website.